Door operating and holding mechanism



Feb. 7, 1928.

M. H. GRAHAM DOOR OPERATING AND HOLDING MECHANISM' Filed Feb.l4, 1927 Feb. 7, 1928.

M. H. GRAHAM DOOR OPERATING AND HOLDING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 1927 1 111: 14% army: MM Q-MJ Patented Feb. 7, 1928.

UNITED} STATES PATENT *OFF.ICE.. .1

MAURICE H. GBAHAM,IF ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA.

Dooa ornaa'rrn'ennn HOLDING MECHANISM;

Application filed February 14:, 1927. Serial No. 167,990.

invent-ion has 'forits object to provide an extremely simple and highly eliicient tion applied to a pair of swinging doors and a door vframe, some parts being broken Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of certain parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. .3 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section taken on the line 83 of Fig. *1 showing the door closed;

Fig. 4: is a view in elevation showing the 25 latch hook and closely associated parts;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail vievvpartly in elevation and partly in section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1: I a

' Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan viewof one 30 of thetoggle levers showing the pivotal con nection between the arms thereof; and I Fig; 7 is an elevation of the same. Q

The numeral 8 indicates a door frame to which is hinged a pair of horizontal swinging doors 9 and 1 t The invention includes a pair of horizontal toggle levers 11 and 12 formed from com-- mercial angle bars and" arrangedto swing I just under the top member of the door frame to thetop memberof the door frame 8, and

the other armthereof is pivoted to the horizontal member of an cngle bearing l l on,

the inner face of the door 9. Formed with the toggle arm pivoted to the bearing 14 is an extension 15, the edge thereof facing the door 9 being oblique and when said door is open extends substantially parallel to the inner face of said door. I

I The toggle lever 12 is relatively long, and

one arm thereof is pivotally anchored to a 55 V-shaped bearing 16 on the top member of the door frame 8, and the other arm thereof adapted for use in connection with horizon-- Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the inven 8 so as not to interfere with the head room is pivoted to a bearing 17 'on the innervface of the'door 10. Both toggle levers 11 and 12 have the horizontal flanges of their arms .connectedbyi bottom plates 18 to which the toggle arms attached to the doors 9 and are rigidly secured and to which the toggle arms attached "to the door frame 8 areipiv oted at 19.. V

It is important to note that ,the ends of toggle lever 11 and thereby permit the door 9 to be closed, there is provided a horizontal rod21 turnably'i mounted in :frontand rear bearings 22 and 23, respectively,on the innerface of the door 9. 1 Said'rod 21, at its rear end portion is bent laterally upward to afford a cam-acting finger 2 which engages and extends transversely of the oblique inner edge of the toggle extension 15. The front end portion of the rod 21 isbent horizontally away from the inner. face of the door 9 sandzthen upward to afford alatch hook25.

Encircling the rod 2l'is a coiled spring26 one end of which is anchored to the bearing 22and the other end of which is secured to said rodQ This spring 26 is under strain to turn the rod 21 and yieldingly hold the body of the latch hook against an overlying stop 27 on the bearing 22. On the top member of the door frame. 8 is a latch plate 28 with which the'latch hook 25 interlocks when the door 9 is closed. During the closing movement of .the door 9.; the latch hook 25 engages the latchplate 28 and is cammedv thereby,

against the tension of the spring 26, into a position to pass under said plate and then spring into interlocking engagement therewith.

Mounted on the door 9 is a turnable handle 29 having on the inside of said door a crank arm 30 attached by a cable 31 to the body of the latch hook 25. By turning the handle 29, which is on the outside of the door 9, to turn the crank arm 30 downward, the

as thearms of the toggle levers f abut and stop pivoted to the arranged to move beyond a dead center at cable 181 draws the latch "hook 25 downward against the tension of the spring 26t0release the same from the latch plate 28 and thereby permit the door 9 to be opened. .Vhenthe handle 29 is released, the spring 26 returns the latch hook toznormal position-and-re.-

24 against'the toggle lever extension 15 and movethe same away from the door 9.

To automatically buckle the toggle lever 12 and close the door l0 by the closing movement of the door 9 a'crosstie rod 32-has'one "of its ends pivoted to a bearing 33 on' the *inner face of thedoor f) and its other end I justments by a set screw portion extended through a bearing-34 on the pivot 19 of its toggle lever 12- and is secured thereto in different longitudinal ad- Preferably. the rod 32 is adjusted so that the door 10 closes just ahead ofthe door 9. lVhen opening-the door 9, therod 32 straightens the toggle lever 12'a'nd opens the door'10." By positioning the toggle levers 11 and '12 beyond dead centers when the doors 9 and 10*are open, they positively hold said'doors open.

The above described invention, while eX- tremely simple and of comparatively small cost to manufacture, hasrin actual usage" proven highly eflicient for the purpose had in view.

I lVhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a swinging door, ofa toggle lever one'arm of which is pivotally anchored and the otherarm of'which is door, said lever being the completion of the opening movement of the door to fasten said door open, aturnable rod on the door and having a cam-acting member, and a connection for turningthe rod to cause its oam-acting member to en-' "gage said toggle and buckle the same to perinit the door to be closed.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the rod is provided with a latch hook,

a spring normally holding the rod with its cam-acting member inoperative and its latch hook operative, and a latch element with which tithe latch :hook engages to 'hold the door closed.

3. The combination with a swinging door, of a toggle lever one arm of which is pivotally anchored and the other arm of which is pivoted to the door, said lever oeing arranged to move beyond a dead center at the completionof. the opening movement of the door to fasten said door open, a turn-able rod having a cam-acting member and a laterally projecting latch'hook, said member being arranged to engage the toggle lever and buckle the same to permit the door to be closed by a movement of the rod to release the latch hook, a spring normally holding the rod with its camacting member inoperative and its latch hook operative, and a connection for turning the rod to cause its member to buckle the toggle lever when the door is opeirandto release the latch hoolrwhen the door is closed.

4. The structure defined in claim 3 in which said connection 1s attached to the latch hook.

y; 5. The combination with a swinging door, of atoggle lever one arm of which is pivotally anchored and the other arm of which is pivoted to the door, said lever being arranged to move beyond dead center at the comple tion of the opening movement of the door to fasten said door open. saidtogglc lever hav ing an extension outward of its connection with the door, a turnable rod on the door and having a cam-acting member, and a connec tion forv turning the rod to cause itscameacting member to engage the extension on the toggle lever to buckle said lever'and permit the door to be closed.

6. The combination'with a pair ofswinging doors, of apair of toggle levers having one of their arms pivotally anchored and their other arms pivoted one to each-of'said doors, said toggle levers beingarranged to move beyond dead centers at the completion of the opening movement of the door to fasten the doors open, a manually operated connection for-buckling one of the toggle levers to permit the respective door to be closed, and a connection actuated by the initial closing movement of said door to buckle the other'ot saidtoggle levers and close .the'door to which it is attached.

In testimony whereof I aifix..my signature.

MAURICE H: GRAHAM. 

